Jack
Jack is the main protagonist of Mary Skelter: Nightmares. He is a Blood Youth and is able to utilize his blood to reverse the effects of the Marchen Blood on Blood Maidens. An unfortunate incident in Mary Skelter 2 would see Jack turned into a Nightmare, but somehow he retains his sanity and kindness, if not his appearance or speech skills. Personality and Appearance Appearance Jack has short, light blue hair and dark blue eyes. Before joining the Dawn, he and Alice wore prisoner rags, torn up from their torture by the Marchen. After joining the Dawn, Jack now wears their uniform, though he only buttons up the top button of the jacket and wears a gray-blue stripe shirt underneath. He wields the Mary Gun with his right hand, with the gun itself being attached by a tube and gauntlet. A holster on his right leg stores the gun when not in use. Around Jack's neck is a pair of headphones, though Jack is never seen actually using them. As a Nightmare, Jack is a grotesque parody of a human being, with spindly legs and arms and an upper torso bulging with muscles. His face only has one eye, surrounded by a perpetual toothy grin shaped like a crescent moon. Vines wrap around his legs and arms, and leaves sprout from the top of his head. Personality Jack is kind but timid, almost a bit of a doormat when it comes to interactions such as those with Kaguya or Thumbelina. Jack's Blood Libido manifests as a desire to climb high places, which in the game becomes a desire to ascend the Jail. Compared to the other Maidens, this Blood Libido does not overtly affect Jack's personality. Jack's helpful and gentle demeanor remains even as a Nightmare, though this is partially stymied by his appearance and his now diminished speech. This seems to be at odds with his nature as a Nightmare, where every battle is a struggle for Jack to keep from lashing out at everything. The only one capable of even partially understanding his drawling mumbles seems to be Otsuu. Jack appears to have become a bit scatterbrained since becoming a Nightmare, occasionally wandering off from the party to pick up random items, though this will sometimes result in gifts that the Blood Maidens enjoy. History Jack's childhood began in the same unnamed village where Alice grew up. After an incident where Jack became a decoy to some children bullying Alice, the two forged a strong connection. Some time before the beginning of the game, Jack and Alice are captured and imprisoned in the Jail. Synopsis Mary Skelter: Nightmares Prologue As prisoners, Jack and Alice are tortured by the Marchen on a daily basis. One day, after being returned to their cell, the duo hears a commotion outside of their cell and realize that the Marchen were killed. A girl with a hood suddenly appears and, after confirming that she is "the one", drags Alice with her. Intent on staying at Alice's side, Jack follows the girls outside the cell. The girl introduces herself as Red Riding Hood, a Blood Maiden similar to Alice, whose mission is to find others like them to help them escape the Jail. After successfully defeating Marchens with her, Alice decides to come with her on the condition that Jack may accompany them. During their escape, the group encounters a Nightmare, an invincible monster who roams the Jail. With no other choice but to run, the group is forced to abandon the other escapees and flee. Alice, after being drenched in Marchen blood and witnessing the Nightmare slaughter the others, enters Blood Skelter. Red Riding Hood, thinking that Alice has lost her sanity, tells Jack to leave her but Jack ignores her and approaches Alice. A rampaging Alice accidentally injures Jack, causing some of his blood to splatter on her. His blood somehow manages to revert Alice back to her normal self, much to Red Riding Hood's surprise. Jack soon loses consciousness due to blood loss and is carried by the girls as they make their escape. Mary Skelter 2 Prologue - Nightmarish Awakening Jack is imprisoned in the Jail along with Alice and several others. Otsuu and the Blood Maidens of Dawn break them loose, but Alice goes berserk fighting a Nightmare and fatally wounds him, sending him tumbling into a pit with Otsuu and the Little Mermaid. When the Blood Maidens come to, they are horrified to see blood-red vines slowly engulfing Jack's body, as he does nothing but stand still and mumble about how he must protect Alice. When the transformation ends, the frail but kind boy they saw is gone, in his place a horrifying cyclops. Just as Otsuu prepares for combat, she feels a brief headache before it quickly subsides into warmth. Sensing something coming from Jack, she attempts communication with the creature and is rewarded by stifled drawls. Jack remembers his wish to protect Alice and is relieved to see Otsuu and Little Mermaid alive, even if he's not fully capable of articulating it. Powers and Abilities * Purifying Blood- Jack's blood is capable of purging Corruption from Blood Maidens who come into contact with it. Using the Mary Gun, Jack is capable of letting the Maidens fight without fear of mental death by Blood Skelter. Unfortunately, this same blood prevents him from directly contributing in combat, as any Blood weapons rust into useless scrap when in contact with his blood. ** Mary Gun- Jack's "weapon" while he traverses the Jail with the Blood Maidens. By sipping blood from his wrist, this gun can fire Jack's blood at high speed. This allows him to use the Mary Gun to purge Corruption from the Blood Maidens even in the heat of battle. He can even forcibly cancel a Blood Skelter transformation, though this will severely drain him. As it draws directly from his blood, the Mary Gun strains Jack's already frail constitution, and can make him faint from overuse. * Meat-Shielding- If so inclined, Jack is capable of using his own body to protect a Blood Maiden from enemy attacks and completely nullify damage. Unfortunately, being of only normal human durability, Jack cannot take nearly as many blows and can lose consciousness against even the weakest of Marchen attacks. * Items- As someone who is not directly within the throes of battle, Jack holds the party's medical supplies when combat occurs. If the situation calls, Jack can take advantage of lulls in combat to patch up the Blood Maidens and maintain momentum. * Nightmare Powers- As a Nightmare, Jack can use various abilities to support the party, though this will strain his mind. Mind gradually recovers outside of battle. ** Nightmare Zone- Jack can use his own version of the Nightmare Zone to prevent enemies from taking action, though it will reduce his mind gauge. ** Deep Breath- Jack slows his actions for a moment, calming himself and restoring his mind gauge ** Ripper Jack- If Jack is pushed to the brink of sanity from taxing himself, he may transform into Ripper Jack. Ripper Jack is uncontrollable, and will attack ally and enemy alike. Jack can be calmed down from this state by Otsuu's Counseling, but if he enters Ripper state 3 times in one battle, the game will end. Be advised that Jack entering Ripper Mode exposes Otsuu to a lot of Corruption, risking a Blood Skelter leaving you with two uncontrollable berserkers. ** Purge and Life Purge- Even as a Nightmare, Jack's blood miraculously retains its anti-Corruption properties. Purge allows Jack to reduce Corruption in one or all Blood Maidens, while Life Purge can cancel Blood Skelter. These abilities will strain Jack's mind. * Coordination: Nightmare- As a Nightmare linked to Otsuu, Jack works together with her, allowing them to fight as a pair. Jack and Otsuu get two turns which can be split any which way among them. This also links them empathically, such that one can sense the other's feelings, though this is mostly one-sided wherein Otsuu helps Jack maintain sanity. Gallery Trivia * Jack is named after the titular character in the English fairy tale, Jack and the Beanstalk. ** Jack shares his urge to climb the tower with his fairy tale counterpart. *The name Ripper Jack could possibly be named after the notorious London murderer Jack the Ripper. Category:Characters